Intel 915, 925 chipsets won't support Win98/ME

[Fraoch]

See the article posted by nowhereman.

That leaves VIA, SiS and AMD, so still lots of options I guess.

[count minaba]

Are you still on 98 Fraoch?

[sammy2066]

what has the chipset got to do with the OS i have ??

can someone explain this to me ???

[Brian]

Originally posted by sammy2066
what has the chipset got to do with the OS i have ??

can someone explain this to me ???

Windows needs drivers for the chipset so they can "talk" to each other properly and efficiently. Apparently it would be very possible to make 915/925 chipset drivers for Win98/WinME but they are refusing to do so so that you will be forced to use at least Win2000 or WinXP if you want to use a motherboard with a 915 or 925 chipset.

[nowareman]

AFAIK, the chipset and its accompnaying software contain the drivers for the OS and hardware.

This is a very simplistic explanation and I'd appreciate an ABX'er who is knowledgable on the subject to explain it more fully.

This is from the DigiTimes article:

"Intel’s strategy will force users to upgrade their OSs when they buy new motherboards based either on the 915 or the 925 chipsets, said the sources.

Although not supported by the 915 and 925 chipsets, both Windows 98 and Windows ME are compatible to the two chips, but neither OS will run as efficiency as it should, said the sources."

edit

Kinda' like Brain just did above while I was typing.

[Fraoch]

Originally posted by count minaba
Are you still on 98 ******?

I have one 98 machine running on a cheapo SiS 740 chipset with an AMD Duron. Take a look at my sig in the first post - secondary machine. Works like a charm and the motherboard and CPU cost $109 CDN!

(This is, of course, due to the fact that I can only install my version of XP on one machine. The copy of 98 came with my first PC and it's still legal - that's the original case, floppy, CD-ROM and PS. I just happen to have replaced the motherboard. And CPU. And memory. And added an old CD burner. And added an old video card. And upgraded the hard drive. Just upgrades, you see... )

P.S. I notice again that my name trips the foul-language detector??

[pointreyes]

Drivers for the NT platform (2000/XP/2003) compared to the 9x/ME platform are very different. With the NT platform the OS creates a 'layer' of protection between the hardware and the software. That is why you don't get as many BSODs using NT based OSes. 9x/ME is working without a layer-instead the software interacts directly with the hardware. If the OS does not have the proper drivers to provide this direct interaction then there is no way for the OS to fully utilize the hardware.

[PCBruiser]

Another issue as well, since 98 and ME do not, and cannot be made to fully support even the current generation of hardware (HT CPUs, for example), and probably will be even less supportive of newer hardware. It really is time for folks to seriously consider upgrading to XP anyway. Anyone considering running 98 or ME on hardware like the 915 or 925 chipsets is really being penny wise and pound foolish. Spending a lot of money on next generaton hardware and then being unwilling to make a "small" investment in a much better design OS, and I fully admit they are not a really small investment, which is far more stable, well ....

[Fraoch]

Originally posted by PCBruiser
Another issue as well, since 98 and ME do not, and cannot be made to fully support even the current generation of hardware (HT CPUs, for example), and probably will be even less supportive of newer hardware. It really is time for folks to seriously consider upgrading to XP anyway. Anyone considering running 98 or ME on hardware like the 915 or 925 chipsets is really being penny wise and pound foolish. Spending a lot of money on next generaton hardware and then being unwilling to make a "small" investment in a much better design OS, and I fully admit they are not a really small investment, which is far more stable, well ....

I fully agree. I love to use Win98 on my low-cost, simple system.

But when it comes to my high-end machine I have to use a more modern OS.

Like Linux.



(Or Windows XP I guess, but yes, you have to use something that can fully take advantage of the technologies available.)

[pointreyes]

PCBruiser, I have games for my kids that simply will not play in XP and/or will play then crash. Current solution, Springdale and/or 815 chipset boards using Celerons. Some of these games are even listed as working in Windows XP but still fail to work properly. I have tried countless times over the years to resolve this without using 98 but to no avail.

Sometimes people are driven to do something they don't like to do, I'm not being 'penny wise and pound foolish' when I go through building a whole computer system to mainly accomodate for a problem with the latest software not working with certain software.

[PCBruiser]

I think you may have missed my point, pointreyes. If someone's goal is to use older software, ones that simply won't work on XP, etc., then why spend the money to upgrade hardware to something like the 915/925? There are far less expensive answers than that - buy/build an old hardware based machine for those games, and let them reside with the old OS, that's fine. But, if you really want/need the hardware capabilities that next generation hardware will provide, then you should also want to use an OS that supports it. If you don't need the capabilities that XP provides, then you probably also don't need hardware like the 915/925 chipsets either. It is like buying a Porsche body, and then dropping a Briggs & Stratton lawn mower engine in it.

[nowareman]

Originally posted by pointreyes
PCBruiser, I have games for my kids that simply will not play in XP and/or will play then crash. Current solution, Springdale and/or 815 chipset boards using Celerons. Some of these games are even listed as working in Windows XP but still fail to work properly. I have tried countless times over the years to resolve this without using 98 but to no avail.

Sometimes people are driven to do something they don't like to do, I'm not being 'penny wise and pound foolish' when I go through building a whole computer system to mainly accomodate for a problem with the latest software not working with certain software.

Pointreyes

Won't they run on XP even in compatability mode?

[pointreyes]

If I would have had a choice, I would have preferred to multi-boot 98/XP.

Upgrading to a Canterwood with HT procs has already forced me to spend money on two computers instead of one.

That is what I'm trying to explain about the people that want to upgrade to newer hardware and being forced like me to build two system instead of one-that's quite a bit more money than most people will want to spend.

[PCBruiser]

Originally posted by pointreyes
If I would have had a choice, I would have preferred to multi-boot 98/XP.

Upgrading to a Canterwood with HT procs has already forced me to spend money on two computers instead of one.

That is what I'm trying to explain about the people that want to upgrade to newer hardware and being forced like me to build two system instead of one-that's quite a bit more money than most people will want to spend.

I certainly agree with that, pointreyes. Unfortunately, this is a case of Darwin combined with Moore's Law, and the fast moving pace of technology forcing folks who want, or need to have the latest to make some hard decisions to accomidate the old. As you well know, forward/backwards compatibility in software is a very iffy thing, and software design today cannot anticipate all the technology changes that are yet to come, much less be designed to truly accomidate all of the variations that exist even today.

[pointreyes]

Originally posted by nowareman
Pointreyes

Won't they run on XP even in compatability mode?

No. And I'm not the only one that has had this happen to. When I say I have spent "countless times over the years to resolve this without using 98 but to no avail." I really mean that. Compatability mode on many different configurations and even different motherboards with different hardware cards - and the answer to the question is a resounding - no. :sad: